or


[07/23/20 - 09:29 AM]
HBO to Adapt Ta-Nehisi Coates' "Between the World and Me," to Debut This Fall
Originally adapted and staged by the Apollo Theater in 2018, the special will combine elements of that production, including powerful readings from Coates' book, and will once again be directed by award-winning director and Apollo Theater Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes.

[via press release from HBO]

HBO To Adapt Ta-Nehisi Coates' "BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME, To Debut This Fall

Kamilah Forbes To Direct And Executive Produce With Coates And Susan Kelechi Watson; Roger Ross Williams To Produce

LOS ANGELES, July 23, 2020 - HBO will adapt the critically acclaimed stage show, BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME, based on the #1 New York Times bestseller of the same name by author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, as an HBO Special Event to air this fall, it was announced today by Casey Bloys, President, HBO Programming.

Originally adapted and staged by the Apollo Theater in 2018, the special will combine elements of that production, including powerful readings from Coates' book, and will once again be directed by award-winning director and Apollo Theater Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes. Ta-Nehisi Coates and Susan Kelechi Watson are also executive producers. Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams is producing. It will also incorporate documentary footage from the actors' home life, archival footage, and animation. The special will be produced under COVID-19 guidelines.

In addition to producing this special, HBO will be making a charitable donation to Howard University and the Apollo Theater.

BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME will be available on HBO and to stream on HBO Max.

"Ta-Nehisi's book is a modern literary classic that provides an essential message for our times," says Casey Bloys, President, HBO Programming. "We are tremendously proud to bring this incredibly important event to our audiences."

"I've been working with Kamilah for almost as long as I've been a writer," said Ta-Nehisi Coates. "I can think of no one better to put BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME on screen and no better home for it than HBO."

"As people across our country continue to speak out about violent, systemic racism and the urgent need for tangible change, Ta-Nehisi's words resonate as strongly today as they did five years ago," said Kamilah Forbes. "I'm excited to collaborate again with both Ta-Nehisi and HBO on this important special event, ensuring that the powerful voices in this work and the cry for justice from the Black community continue to reach a broader audience."

"Through BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME, we intend to create a space of communion where Black people can metabolize our grief, celebrate our joys, and continue to amplify the current discourse regarding race and culture in our country and around the world," said Susan Kelechi Watson. "Ta-Nehisi's words lend themselves to an experience that is shared by so many of us. I'm thrilled to work with HBO and these brilliant minds on a special that is both timely and urgent."

"Ta-Nehisi Coates' BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME is a seminal piece of literature that has pushed crucial conversations around our country and racism to the forefront of our cultural conversation," said Roger Ross Williams. "Having witnessed Ta-Nehisi and Kamilah stage Between the World and Me, I am thrilled to be a part of bringing this powerful work and its message to HBO and an even wider audience."

Coates' book Between the World and Me, published by One World, is a New York Times Bestseller, National Book Award winner, and Pulitzer Prize finalist. First published in 2015, it is written as a letter to Coates' teenage son and recounts the author's experiences growing up in Baltimore's inner city and his growing fear of daily violence against the Black community. The narrative explores Coates' bold notion that American society structurally supports white supremacy.

The stage adaptation based on Between the World and Me was originally performed in 2018 as a limited engagement at the Apollo Theater and the Kennedy Center, with encore performances at the Apollo Theater and again in Atlanta in 2019. Kamilah Forbes, a close friend of Coates, is featured in the book as "Aunt Kamilah" and was immediately inspired to adapt Coates' work to the stage after reading it. The pair met at Howard University, a pivotal time in both of their lives that has been a continued source of creativity and inspiration. Watson, also a Howard alum, participated in the staged reading at the Apollo and Kennedy Center.

Coates' other written works, which include The Beautiful Struggle, We Were Eight Years in Power, and The Water Dancer, explore similar themes of race in America. Coates currently serves as the Apollo's inaugural master artist in residence and a distinguished writer in residence at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. He is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and is the current author of the Marvel comics The Black Panther and Captain America.

Forbes currently serves as the Executive Producer of the Apollo Theater. She previously produced HBO's "Def Poetry" series and co-executive produced HBO's "Brave New Voices." She has received numerous accolades for her work in the arts including a Peabody, Tony Award, and NAACP Image Award. She was named to the 2019 ROOT 100 list and is a Sundance Fellow.

Watson currently stars in NBC's "This Is Us," for which she earned two Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as a 2020 Critics' Choice Nomination and 2018, 2019 and 2020 NAACP Image Award nominations. She starred in "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" opposite Tom Hanks for director Marielle Heller. She is an executive producer of Rashaad Ernesto Green's film "Premature," which premiered at Sundance to critical acclaim. She currently serves on the board of Drama Club, an organization that uses theater to mentor incarcerated youths in New York City.

Williams' recent projects include HBO's "The Apollo," Emmy-nominated virtual reality experience "Traveling While Black," and the Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning "Life, Animated." In 2010, Williams became the first Black director to win an Academy Award for his documentary short "Music by Prudence." Williams, along with producing partner Geoff Martz, founded One Story Up in 2017, which produced the first three episodes of the critically acclaimed Netflix limited series "The Innocence Files," which Williams directed.

BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME will be directed by Kamilah Forbes who also serves as executive producer; executive produced by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Susan Kelechi Watson; produced by Roger Ross Williams. Williams' production company ONE STORY UP produces.





  [july 2020]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME (HBO)





[10/17/25 - 01:16 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Hits Season Highs with Best Audience Performance Since July
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 139 consecutive weeks across all key measures.

[10/17/25 - 10:38 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues Historic Hot Streak - Rising for Fourth Straight Week Since Premiere with 6 Million Total Viewers
Plus: "High Potential" dominated the 10 p.m. hour with 4.15 million Total Viewers and a 0.33 rating among Adults 18-49.

[10/17/25 - 10:01 AM]
51st Season of "Saturday Night Live" Continues with Three Back-to-Back Shows in November
Miles Teller is on tap to host on November 1, followed by Nikki Glaser on November 8, and Glen Powell on November 15.

[10/17/25 - 09:05 AM]
All-New Season of "The Last Woodsmen" Premieres Friday, November 14 at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery
Deep in the untamed wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, veteran logger Jared Douglas returns to put everything on the line in the new season.

[10/17/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia" - Sneak Peek - Netflix
A brutal mob war between John Stanfa and Joey Merlino plunges '90s Philadelphia into chaos and bloodshed in this captivating true-crime series.

[10/17/25 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Me late que si" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A desperate, ordinary man, fed up with his misfortune, hatches a daring heist and assembles a very unusual group to attempt the impossible: stealing a live lottery jackpot.

[10/17/25 - 08:00 AM]
"Weapons" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max October 24
When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at 2:17 a.m., a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "My Secret Santa" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A vivacious single-mom (Alexandra Breckenridge) in need of a job decides to disguise herself as a man in order to get hired as the seasonal Santa at a luxury ski resort.

[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM]
"Euphoria" Season 3 Is Coming Spring 2026
Newly announced cast members include Gideon Adlon, Bill Bodner, Colleen Camp, Danielle Deadwyler, Homer Gere, Jessica Blair Herman, Natasha Lyonne, Hemky Madera, Kwame Patterson, Trisha Paytas, Rebecca Pidgeon, Bella Podaras, Cailyn Rice, Eli Roth, Madison Thompson, Jack Topalian, Sam Trammell, Matthew Willig.

[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Eloa the Hostage: Live on TV" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This gripping documentary explores the case of a teenage girl who was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend in one of Brazil's most shocking hostage situations.

[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM]
Apple Is the Exclusive New Broadcast Partner for Formula 1 in the U.S.
Apple TV will deliver comprehensive coverage of Formula 1, with all practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix available to Apple TV subscribers.

[10/16/25 - 02:11 PM]
Video: National Geographic Unveils First Look at "Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember" - A Powerful and Heartfelt Special Featuring the Global Movie Star on His Most Personal Journey Yet
The one-hour documentary, from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa, Jane Root's Nutopia, and Chris Hemsworth and Ben Grayson's Wild State, premieres November 23 at 9:00/8:00c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

[10/16/25 - 12:58 PM]
Lifetime Announces Annual "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" Holiday Movie Slate Kicking Off November 29th
Featured talent this year includes Brandy Norwood, Kane & Katelyn Brown, Loretta Devine, Debbi Morgan, Arielle Kebbel, Tyler Hilton, James Lafferty, Vivica A. Fox, Jackée Harry, Sy'Rai Smith, Nischelle Turner, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, and others.

[10/16/25 - 12:31 PM]
Video: "The Witcher" Season 4 - Character Trailer - Netflix
Scattered to fates unknown, Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri traverse the war-torn Continent and its countless enemies in the hope of finding each other again.

[10/16/25 - 11:32 AM]
A+E Global Media and Rachael Ray's Free Food Studios Cook Up Expanded Programming Partnership with Over 100 New Episodes Ordered
The network has ordered 110 new episodes of Ray's programming, including new episodes of "Meals in Minutes," that will continue to focus on her approachable and comforting cooking style.